Things to consider when looking at a concrete pool

What could be better than having a pool available on demand for your own private use? So what are the choices, what’s the difference between a good pool and a bad pool, and how do you know whether having one is right for you?

Some things to consider:

• planning permission
• cost
• safety
• maintenance

Do I need planning permission?

New laws apply to the sale or lease of properties with a pool in NSW.  These changes have been introduced to further protect the safety of children under the age of five around backyard swimming pools.

Local councils are responsible for promoting backyard swimming pool safety in their local communities. They do this through locally appropriate swimming pool inspection programs and community education.

How Much Will We Use It?

One of the biggest worries that potential swimming pool owners have is how much use they will get out of it. It’s a significant sacrifice in terms of cost and garden space so you’ll need to be sure that you’ll be enjoying it to the max.

What Size?

Swimming pools come in a variety of sizes and the temptation is to try and economise on size to minimise costs. The smallest is usually 6 x 3m but as that requires little more than a handful of strokes to tick off a length, you might find it a little frustrating.

The standard is actually 10 x 5m (x 2m deep), with most companies offering a larger size off-the-shelf (although most will create bespoke sizes if you insist) of 12 x 6m. You will, of course, need extra space around the pool of about 2m — plus associated space for a plant and filtration kit.

What About Maintenance?

Because heat breaks down chlorine, the key job is really one of topping up and checking pH levels (“up to every other day in hot weather,” says Polypool’s Kat Lemon). The good news is that the maintenance jobs are fairly routine — there are even apps that will help you monitor pH and temperature levels and you can buy automatic dosing systems.

If you hate the thought of chlorine, then you can install a pool purification system.